After a wet year has seen the delays of the Narwonah Material Distribution Centre for the Inland Rail, construction of the site will begin in Narromine in the coming months, forming the largest proposed site of its kind in the southern hemisphere. 

The Material Distribution Centre (MDC) will be a key storage facility during the Inland Rail construction works, area to prepare, weld and fix, as well as a locomotive provisioning and maintenance facility. 

Narromine Shire Council Mayor Craig Davies said that the sentiment from the community is generally positive, with the project creating an opportunity for an economic boost. 

“It’s the most significant development that the town has probably ever seen…it’s such an exciting time simply because of the level of technology that’s being drawn to Narromine,” Cr Davies said.



Spanning four square kilometres, the construction of the site is said to employ up to 100 people, all who will likely be deployed to Narromine. 

“Most of those people will be from elsewhere, and I say that because we’ve basically got 100 per cent employment…our unemployment rate is somewhere in the order of 2.8 per cent so we’re at a point where it’s very difficult to find staff locally,” Cr Davies said.

With those 100 people exposed to the shire however, Cr Davies is hopeful that some might stick around after the project is complete. 

“We hope that they’ll be here long enough to enjoy and understand the delights of living in a rural centre,” he said. 

When operational, the MDC will allow for 368 kilometres of new track infrastructure between Narromine and the NSW/QLD border that will make up the Inland Rail Corridor. 

The facility is proposed to be located on ARTC-owned land adjacent to the existing Narwonah siding, approximately eight kilometres south of the Narromine township.